


Let's try this once more

by 1000lux



Series: Hexslinger Stories [2]
Category: The Hexslinger Series - Gemma Files
Genre: Charlie and Chess get a happy ending, M/M, Post-Canon, Years Later, based also on the extra stories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 00:18:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14659236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1000lux/pseuds/1000lux
Summary: Chess is turning forty next year. About the age his momma kicked the bucket. And that's a sobering thought.





	Let's try this once more

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own rights to the books or it's characters.

Chess is turning forty next year. About the age his momma kicked the bucket. And that's a sobering thought. He looks in the mirror and tries to find similarities. There are none. He looks ravishing, compared to what she looked in the end. The only one he could ever find himself in was that shrew he met in hell. And no, it's not like he's old. Not really. Just old enough to know better. And there are a lot of things he knows better by now.  
It's not like he lost his game or anything. He's still lean and mean. More the first than the latter. But times have changed alright. People actually being happy when he comes into town for one thing. People who knew what went down are scarce, fifteen years in almost. He's mellowed, he thinks. Makes him proud. Makes him also feel like he lost part of himself, just like he lost Ash Rook. Who he hasn't thought of in months he realises now. And what hurts is that it doesn't hurt anylonger to think of him. A dull ache maybe. But nothing more. 

He's wearing an earring again. In the other lobe. One Charlie gave him, that fucking peacock. Looks garish, but the old Chess would have loved it and truth be told, the Chess of now loves it too. Wouldn't be wearing it otherwise. Not even out of courtesy. His manners aren't quite that good, even now that he's become quite the statesman.

And well, Charlie that's someone who's been occupying his mind recently. More even than he does anyway. Young Mister Alarid, who's now fresh thirty-two and in his prime. The most coveted arachnorse farmer known in the hex-world and the regular, treated like a rock star by both the army and the inhabitants of Hexicas. His star is standing high. And he's outgrown the dumb boy who didn't know which fights to pick, even if not the garish dress code. But it fits him now, as he's grown into it with true confidence and not just bravado. He holds himself with an easy lassitude now, pretty hexes throwing themselves at him, knowing that the last time Chess Pargeter killed someone over flirting with his lover was for Ash Rook.

Yes, Charlie's star is rising and somehow Chess has become an old iron. After ten years even the last bit of hero worship is worn out. And Chess who had Charlie running after him for over a decade, realises, damn, he'll have to put on his A-game too if he wants to keep him. And with startling clarity he also realises that the times where Charlie's presence was optional have been gone for a long time now.

*

It's not like Rook is removed from his mind. Despite the fact that in total they hadn't been together all that long, every memory of him is etched into stone, etched into his heart. He carries the scars Ash left there. And all that's left for Charlie to expect anything from, is a whole lot of scar tissue.  
That's not fair to ask. And still that's what Chess's been doing the past ten-something years. And he's not even feeling bad about it as such. Never asked him to fucking fall in love.  
Chess didn't think he for one thing ever could again. Felt hard enough to just keep living after Rook was gone. 

*

He tries to bring it up one night. 

Midways through his ramblings Charles, who as always has been patiently listening with a fond and long-suffering smile, stops him.

"You're an idiot, Chess. Do you really think I would have stayed with you out of hero worship? You're not that pretty. Not that impressive either, one gets to know you. Certainly not after I had to wipe snot from your face when you were down with the flu."

"Hey! Not like you never had the flu in your life!" Chess' good old temper flares up against all reason.

"Shut the fuck up, Chess." Charlie says unperturbed, smile still securely curved into his mouth. And there shouldn't be that much fondness in it. It makes Chess squirm. "You think I would have stayed all those years with you if I didn't love you? You think I'd have stayed, I didn't think you love me too on some level?"

Chess grapples for words again, eyes like a deer caught in headlight. Strange, it was never that hard to tell Rook he loved him.

Charlie stops him again. Just taps Chess' earlobe, where the silver spider layed-out with Rubies (which should horribly clash with Chess' hair, but doesn't) is dangling from a fine net of silver chain-link, with a twinkle in his eyes and kisses him. "Don't worry, Chess Pargeter. You're my man."

Finally Chess finds his words again. "Damn right I am."


End file.
